Sweep-brace for plows.



Q/vihw we 1 G. M. WHEELER.

SWEEP BEACH FOR PLOW$. APPLICATION n'nnn NOV.16, 1908 933,146. PatentedSept. 7, 1909. E

GEORGE M. WHEELER, OF WINNSBORO, TEXAS.

SWEEP-BRACE FOR FLOWS.

Application filed November 16, 1908.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. *7, 1909.

Serial No. 462,832.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. WVHEELER, a citizen of the United States,residing at W'innsboro, in the county of Wood and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sweep-Braces for Plows,of which the following is a specification.

It is well known that while among farmworking tools and implements, theplow point, known as the heel sweep, is practically indispensable, yetit has many disadvantages in that the sweep itself is liable to be bentout of shape or broken in two at, its apex where it is fastened to thefootpiece of the stock, this being the weakest point of the sweep.

One of the methods heretofore practiced for the purpose of strengtheningthe sweep and for preventing it from breaking, has been to weld a pieceof iron or brace to the wings of the sweep, but this method is obviouslydisadvantageous in that the brace can only be used on the one sweep towhich it has been rigidly connected, and when the sweep finally wearsout, the brace must be discarded with it. And it has also been proposedto rigidly secure the brace across the face of a sweep by. rivets or thelike, but this also has its drawbacks in that if the brace becomesbroken, it must be entirely discarded, and also in that a brace of thischaracter, being merely an iron bar, is applicable to only one form ofsweep and can-v not be used with sweeps in which the wings are disposedat difierent angles.

The primary object of my invention is a sweep brace for plows, whichwill not possess the objectionable features above pointed out, butwhich, on the other hand, will be simple, durable and efficient inconstruction and operation and which will possess the characteristics ofdetachability and adjustability so that it may be readily secured to anyplow of this character and as easily removed therefrom when the sweepwears out. The said brace also possesses, to a certain extent, thefeature of flexibility, as it may be made in two or more parts pivotallyor otherwise movably connected together to secure the desired range ofadjustability.

lVith this and other objects in view as will more fully appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions,arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafterfully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, and toacquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is to behad to the following de-K scription and accompanying drawing, in which:v

Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating .my improved brace inapplied position; Fig.

2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 is a top plan view ofa portion of the device applied; Fig. t is a detail view of a modifiedform, parts being shown in top plan and others in section; and, Fig. 5is a detail perspective View of one end of the brace of said modifiedform.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawing by the samereference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a plow stock; 2 theplow or point proper; 3 the spacing adjuster designed to prevent anyshifting of the plow point; 4: the retaining bolt, which extends'throughthe point, spacing adjuster 3, the foot of the plow stock and the plowpoint 2.

5 designates the nut that is secured on the retaining bolt 4, and 6designates the sweep which is detachably held in place by the said nutand retaining bolt, the said sweep being provided with the rearwardlyextending diverging wings 7.

My improved sweep brace comprises essentially a brace head 8 which isformed with an apertured tongue 9 through which the bolt 4 extends, andwhich is also formed in the rear of said tongue with spaced ears 10designed to fit in between the side members of the stock lat the. footthereof. A brace-carrying arm 11 is preferably fiattened at its frontend so as to be received between the cars 10 to which it is pivotallyconnected to swing about a substantially horizontal axis. Thebrace-carrying arm 11 is preferably curved, as shown, to secure thedesired adjustability, although I do not regard this curved formation ofthe arm as essential, and the rear end of the arm is threaded, asindicated at 12, a nut 18 working on said threaded portion;

14 designates the brace proper which is formed preferably at its middlewith an opening which is positioned over the arm 11 in threadedengagement therewith so as to slide longitudinally and turn axiallythereon, and said brace being preferably arched, as shown, to secureadditional strength. The brace 14:, in operation, extends transversely,as clearly illustrated in the drawing, and is preferably formed at itsends with grooves 15 engaging the edges of the sweep wings 7 so as tosecurely brace the same and prevent them from being bent inwardly, whichwould be liable to permanently destroy their proper shape, as well asbreak them, particularly at the apex.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, it is clear that I have provided a simple, durable'andeflicientconstruction of sweep brace for plows which may be adjusted bothvertically and axially to secure the brace proper in the requisiterelation to the sweep, irrespective of the size or type thereof, as thebrace proper may be adjusted longitudinally on the arm 11 and held atthe proper adjustment by the nut 13, while the pivotal connection of thearm 11 with the head 8, enables the device to be adjusted vertically,according to the particular inclination of the wings of the sweep.

It is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the exactconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinbefore described,

but that various changes may be made in the construction, arrangementand proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of myinvention as defined in the appended claims. Forinstance, a modificationof the invention is illustrated in Fig. 1, wherein 8 designates thehead'of the brace provided with the tongue 9*, ears 10 and 11 designatesthe brace-carrying arm which is pivotally connected at its forward endto the ears 10 of the head. The rear end of the arm 11 is formed with alongitudinally extending bore or opening 16 in which the stem 17 of thebrace proper 14 fits, being held at the proper axial and longitudinaladjustment in said opening by means of a set screw 18 working throughthe rear end of the arm and designed to impinge against the stem 17. Inthis modification of the invention, the brace proper 14 is provided atits ends with laterally extensible sections 19 grooved as at 15 toengage the wings of the plow sweep and held at the proper axial andextended adjustment by means of set screws 20, as clearly illustrated inthe drawing. It is obvious that this brace may be swung upwardly withequal facility as the brace first described, and that it may be adjustedlongitudinally as well as laterally so as to properly engage theparticular size or shape of sweep with which it is to be used.

l/Vhile the opening through the slot 9 to receive the bolt 4' may be ofany desired size or shape, I prefer that it be a longitudinallyelongated opening or oblong slot, so

' that it will allow the tongue to adjust the ears up against the sweep,and hold it steady while in use, it being well known that sweeps vary insize andwidth at a point back of the opening through which the bolt 4:passes.

Preferably, the ears 10 are designed to fit in between the side membersof the stock 1 at the foot thereof thus preventing the arm 11 fromturning about and assisting in steadying all parts of the sweep andbrace.

It is to be understood that my improved sweep brace will fit and can beused on any plow tool such as a wood foot stock, iron" foot stock,cultivator feet, or in fact any kind of a plow stock.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described the combination with a plowstock, a point positioned on said stock, a clamping bolt secured throughsaid stock and said point to secure the same in position, a sweepcarried by said bolt and wings rearwardly diverged from said sweep, of ahead, ears rearwardly extended from said head, a slotted tongue dependedfrom said head and engaged about bolt, an arm pivotally disposed betweensaid ears, said arm being bent upwardly at its forward end, abrace'slidably positioned on said arm and extended laterally therefromto slidably engage the inner edges of said wings and a nut positioned inthreaded engagement upon said arm at the rear end thereof to hold saidbrace against said wings. I

'- QQA device as specified comprising ahead Y carried at the lower endof a plow stock adjacent the sweep carried thereby, ears extendedrearwardly in parallel from said head, an arm pivotally disposed betweensaid ears, said arm comprising two sections other and secured inadjusted position by a set screw, the forward of said sections beingbent upwardly at its outer extremity, a brace rigidly mounted upon therear end ofsaid arm and extended laterally therefrom and slidablymounted engaging portions carried at the opposite ends of said brace forengagement with the inner edges of wings carried by the sweep of a plow,said brace being provided with set screws at its opposite ends forengagement with said slide able portions to secure the same in adjustedposition.

' positioned in telescopic relation to one an- In testimony whereof -Iaffix my signa- I ture in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE M. VI-IEELER. [1,. s.

lVitnesses:

R. N. ROBERTSON, J. O. Hrr'r.

